92 new hydrogen refuelling stations worldwide in 2016

92 new hydrogen refuelling stations have opened throughout the world in 2016, the largest number of new stations ever. As of January 2017, the total number of hydrogen refuelling stations in operation is 274 including four opened at the beginning of this year. This is the result of the ninth annual assessment by H2stations.org, a website of Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik (LBST) and TÜV SÜD.

“A journey with a fuel cell vehicle from Norway to Northern Italy is now possible. Several regions will offer a hydrogen refuelling infrastructure providing a territorial base coverage in the near future”, says LBST infrastructure expert Reinhold Wurster. No previous year has seen as many new hydrogen stations as 2016. 83 of the 92 newly opened stations are public accessible. The others are dedicated to refuelling of buses or fleet customers. Top of the list is again Japan with 45 new stations. In North America 25 stations were inaugurated, 20 of them in California.

In Europe, 22 stations have opened, thereof 6 in Germany, increasing the number of public hydrogen refuelling stations there to 22. A further 29 German stations are under construction or will be commissioned soon, surpassing the USA with 24 stations under construction. Worldwide, sites for 90 upcoming stations have already been announced.

Based on information collected by LBST, a total of 106 hydrogen refuelling stations are currently operating in Europe, 101 in Asia, 64 in North America, two in South America, and one in Australia. 188 stations are publicly accessible like any conventional retail station, representing 2/3 of all stations globally. Last year several older stations originating from limited demonstration projects were replaced by modern public stations, showing the increasing commercialisation of the hydrogen infrastructure.

Denmark is the country with the highest density of hydrogen stations per inhabitant and the first to offer a territorial base coverage. Germany, on the other hand, has the largest number of hydrogen refuelling stations in Europe and a North-South hydrogen highway along the entire country. A seamless journey from Norway to Northern Italy is now possible. In the Alps, the opening of the first public hydrogen station in Switzerland, also serving innovative hydrogen trucks, completes a hydrogen highway stretching from Northwest-Switzerland to Vienna.

Interactive maps and individual analyses

The H2stations.org (www.H2stations.org) website uses interactive maps to globally list all hydrogen refuelling stations in operation, planned, or already shut down including a summary on recent changes. With its information on already closed stations, H2stations.org is unique in also providing a view on the development history of the hydrogen infrastructure.

The website draws on an extensive database which is continuously updated with new stations as well as with additional information on already existing sites. All in all, it currently contains detailed information on 734 refuelling stations. “In spite of the substantial efforts involved in collecting the data, we provide information free of charge for non-commercial use”, says LBST Managing Director Uwe Albrecht. “Professional users are able to license the data including further detailed information, regular reports on new developments, and individual analyses.”

Information and services for hydrogen and fuel cells

TÜV SÜD and LBST operate a joint hydrogen and fuel-cell portal offering extensive information and services for professional users and interested members of the public. The portal comprises the websites www.H2stations.org and www.H2mobility.org, the latter offering an overview of all hydrogen vehicles going back as far as 1807, extensive specialist information, and a guide through standards and regulations. Quarterly updated figures on hydrogen refuelling stations in relevant countries, along with up to date news on hydrogen markets and technologies are made available to subscribers on a quarterly basis as part of the "Market Cockpit Hydrogen" service.

Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik GmbH (LBST) is an international expert consultant for sustainable energy and mobility. With its expertise bridging technologies, markets, and policy the company supports international clients from industry, finance, politics, and non-governmental organisations in strategy, feasibility, and market assessments, several international blue-chip companies trusting in its reliable judgment. The cutting edge competence of LBST is based on over three decades of continuous experience, and on its interdisciplinary team of leading experts.

All static maps of hydrogen refuelling stations (World, Europa, Germany, North America, Asia) can be downloaded in high resolution from www.tuv-sud.com/pressphotos (search term "Hydrogen"). Further information about Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik and TÜV SÜD can be found on the Internet at www.lbst.de/index_e or www.tuv-sud.com/fuelcell, respectively.